Apple Butter

I have to confess I'm a little scared to leave my crockpot on all day while I go to work. Leaving it on on weekends and days off while I'm in and out running errands all day is fine, but leaving it on while I'm at work squicks me out a little. I know it's irrational. I know that my crockpot won't suddenly, after over 4 years of reliable use, won't all of a sudden blow up on me... But what if it does?

This apple butter is my first experiment with putting something in my crockpot while I was away at work. Do you think I could concentrate at work? Of course not. Instead of brilliant legal thoughts, my imagination went wild with thoughts of burned apples (at best) and charred house remains (at worst). 

Needless to say, my house was still standing when I got home, the apples were cooking nicely, and it smelled like I had spent all day making apple pies. It was wonderful.

Now if only I could convince myself that this all-day-while-I'm-at-work success wasn't a fluke and I should try it again.

Crockpot Apple Butter

From My Baking Addiction, adapted

Makes about 4 pints

INGREDIENTS

6 1/2 lbs tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

2/3 - 1 cup white sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

2/3 - 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Place the apples in the crockpot. Add the sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring very occasionally (I stirred once after it cooked for about 9 hrs), until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

Uncover, stir in the vanilla, and cook for about 2 hrs. It'll probably look like the apples are sort of breaking down and liquefying, but that's ok. Cooking uncovered will allow some of the excess liquid to evaporate.

Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Put in sterile containers and store in the fridge or freezer.

21-Ingredient Chili

In preparation to install my magic shelves, I cleaned out the cabinets. These are my spices. Well, most of them. My cinnamon sticks and ground cinnamon got left out. Clearly, I have a problem. A delicious one.

Because of this delicious problem, I was able to make this 21-ingredient chili with only having to buy one spice. I'm not sure if that's something I should be proud of...

We both really liked this chili. My husband, who has a very narrow definition of what a chili is, declared this his "new favorite tortilla soup." It took some work, but I will definitely be making it again, with a few changes - I'll note those below.

The most exciting part of this is that I got to make it in my new crockpot. Behold:

It's pretty and shiny and I love it.

But now onto the chili.

Slow Cooker 21-Ingredient Chili
From A Year of Crockpotting
Prep Time - 25 min
Cook Time - 8 hrs
Serves 8ish

INGREDIENTS
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks.
1 onion, diced
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can white cannellini beans, drained & rinsed
1 (15 oz) can corn (drained & rinsed)*
1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes (NOT drained)
1 (4 oz) can diced green chiles
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and grated
1/2 cup spicy grown mustard
2 TBSP soy sauce
2 TBSP honey
3 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP chipotle chili powder
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP garlic powder
1 tsp white peper
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cinnamon**
1/4 tsp cloves
2 cups chicken broth

DIRECTIONS

Put the chicken into the bottom of your cooker; frozen is okay, but cut it into chunks. Add the diced onion, canned beans, tomatoes, chiles, corn, and grated sweet potato. 

In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, honey, dried spices, and broth. Whisk together and pour into the crockpot. Stir to combine.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until chicken easily shreds with two large forks. Stir very well and serve in a large bowl with your favorite chili toppings, like sour cream and cheese.

Serve and enjoy.

NOTES

*I used a second can of kidney beans instead of corn. 

** When I make this again, I will omit. 

Chicken Stock

Can I tell you a secret? You have to promise you won't tell anyone...

Alright, if you promise you won't tell, I'll tell you my secret.  Are you ready for it? Well, here it is.

I only pretend that I make homemade stock for culinary reasons. Any talk of "oh, there's just no comparison" or "it really is worth the extra effort" is just that - talk. Sure, it may all be true, but it's not the reason I make stocks. In fact, I regularly buy boxes of the stuff and use it frequently (the six-pack from Costco and I are besties).

Nope. I make homemade stock because I'm kind of cheap and hate wasting things. And homemade stock is a great way to clean out the veggie crisper. It's just a bonus that it's super easy and makes my house smell good. In fact, it's so easy that it just may change your life.

Here's what I do:

If you want to make a meat stock, save the bones (a chicken carcass works really great). Put that at the bottom of a crock pot (mine is a 4-quart, and I think a slightly larger one would work better, but I make do). If you want to do a veggie stock, skip this step.

Next, add some veggies. I think onions, carrots, and celery are the essentials, but I've not used carrots or celery when I was out. Baby carrots, shredded carrot, carrot coins - whatever you've got. If you're using whole carrots, you don't even need to peel them. Cut those and the celery into big chunks. If you have a whole onion, chop it into big chunks and leave the skin on. The skin will help the stock get a nice dark color. If you have something else onion-y that you want to get rid of, throw that in too - shallots, scallions, leeks... they're all good. I'm pretty sure I added a green pepper once when I discovered I had one that was at the "I need to use this by tomorrow or throw it out" stage.

Add some garlic. I prefer to use whole cloves, in their skins (again, the skins help get that nice stock-y color), but if you only have a jar of minced or those little frozen garlic cubes from Trader Joe's, throw a few cloves worth in.

Next add some fresh herbs - a few full sprigs. I prefer to use Parsley and Thyme, but I'm really not picky. I've used Rosemary instead. Once, I even threw in some arugula. Use whatever you've got. I wouldn't recommend using dried herbs, though - only fresh, whole sprigs.

Throw in a palm full of whole peppercorns.

Cover everything with water, put the lid on the crockpot, and cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Pour everything through a fine mesh strainer and let cool before packaging up into individual containers. It will stay in the fridge for a few days or frozen for a long time.

Jalapeno Poblano Chili

I love CookingLight. The day the new issue arrives in my mailbox is sort of like a mini-Christmas. If it sits on my coffee table for too long without me looking at it, I start to get antsy. When I saw this recipe for Jalapeno-Poblano Chili, I knew we had to test it out as a more every-day substitute for the famous chili recipe that feeds an army and takes at least 2 days to prepare.

I took a few liberties with the recipe - most notably, I used actual beef, cut into cubes instead of ground beef (personal preference). I also used a regular light-colored beer instead of Corona (because I realized at last minute we didn't have any). 

The results were great. It is officially our new favorite "substitute" chili recipe. 

Poblano-Jalapeno Chili
CookingLight March 2012

Pot Roast Hoagies

I spent my childhood consuming a lot of gravy. Specifically, hunks of meat with lots of gravy and either mashed potatoes or egg noodles. I think that's what you get when you're Scandinavian and live in the upper midwest. Most of my friends with similar upbringings share my love for gravy. Maybe you don't even have to be Scandinavian. Maybe you just have to have grown up in the upper midwest. Or maybe you just have to have grown up in the United States in the 1980s. Who knows. This staple of my childhood has stayed with me into adulthood, though I now prefer my gravy-drenched hunks of meat in sandwich form. Pot roast in brown gravy on a hoagie bun? Yes, please.

This is another pre-move clean-out-the-pantry dish. The recipe I based it off of called for brisket, but the stores around here only stock that sporadically, and the only briskets I could find were organic, free range, grass fed, Kosher briskets for somewhere around $20-30/lb. So, I used a regular rump roast instead. I'm sure it would be great with brisket, but considering I'm not Jewish and made this recipe to get rid of some pantry items, spending the money on the hippie Kosher brisket wasn't worth it to me. 

I loved this sandwich. My husband thought it was decent. But he's not a big pot roast fan so take his opinion with a grain of salt.

Please excuse the bad picture

Pot Roast Hoagies

Recipe adapted from Food Network

Prep Time - 15 min

Cook Time - 8 hrs on low, 4 hrs on high

Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS

1 2-3 lb roast

salt & pepper

3 carrots, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, sliced

3 cloves garlic, smashed

1 bay leaf

1 packet slow-cooker pot roast seasoning

2 cups beef stock

2 cups red wine (I used a Pinot Noir)

2 TBSP tomato paste

1 cup cold water

1 packet low-sodium brown gravy mix

Hoagie buns

DIRECTIONS

Put the carrots, celery, onion, and garlic in the bottom of your slow cooker. Turn the slow cooker on and put the lid on to let it get a bit warm before you add the meat. 

Heat a pan on the stove to medium-high heat and put a bit of olive oil in the bottom. Season the meat liberally with salt & pepper on all sides. Add to the pan and sear for a couple minutes per side. Put it in the slow cooker. 

In a large bowl, whisk together the beef stock, wine, tomato paste, and pot roast seasoning. Pour the mixture into your crock pot. Add a bay leaf. 

Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

Once the roast is done, take it out of the crockpot and let it sit for a few minutes while you make the gravy.

Pour the liquid through a strainer and add to a large pan or a pot on your stove. Turn the meat to medium. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the gravy mix with cold water. Whisk this into your sauce on the stove. Let heat for a few minutes, until gravy thickens. Season with salt & pepper, to taste. 

Cut the meat and put it on hoagie buns and slather with gravy. 

Cuban Sandwiches

I have to confess. I'm in love with a sandwich. Specifically, the Cuban sandwich. I don't know how I survived my nearly 30 years without them. If you've never tried one, you must. This was honestly one of the best things I've eaten in a while, and certainly the best sandwich I've had in a long time.

The Cuban sandwich is traditionally a pressed sandwich made with roasted, shredded pork, ham, cheese, mustard, and pickles. I tried a bit of my sandwich with pickles and some without and I very much preferred it without. But, I generally dislike pickles on sandwiches, so it was pretty much expected. However, I also generally dislike mustard, but I really liked mustard on this sandwich, so if you're like me, don't immediately write off the mustard.

Cubano Sandwich

Recipe by Tyler Florence, adapted

Makes 4 sandwiches

Prep Time - 10 min

Inactive Cook Time - 6 hrs

Active Cook Time - 10-15 min

INGREDIENTS

1 lb boneless pork roast (I used country ribs)

salt & pepper

cumin

dried oregano

2 TBSP olive oil

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 medium onion, sliced

1 cup orange juice

1 lime, juiced

1 cup chicken broth

2 bay leaves

4 Cuban rolls (baguettes would be good too)

Yellow mustard

12 slices Muenster cheese

8-12 slices deli ham

salt & pepper

pickle chips

canola oil

DIRECTIONS

Spray the ceramic of your crock pot with cooking spray. Slice the onion and place at the bottom of your ceramic. Smash the garlic, peel off the skin, and add those, too.

Heat the oil and chili flakes in a skillet over medium heat. Season the pork with salt, pepper, cumin, and oregano. Sear the meat for just a couple minutes per side. Place in the ceramic of your crock pot. Add the orange juice, chicken broth, lime juice, and bay leaves. Cook on low for about 6 hrs, or until the meat is tender enough to shred.

To prepare the sandwiches, cut the rolls in half. Put mustard on the bottom of the roll and put about 1 1/2 slices of cheese on top. Add a layer of pickle chips. Next add the pork. Season the pork with salt & pepper and drizzle a little bit of the cooking liquid over the top. Then 2-3 slices of ham, and then another 1 1/2 slices of cheese.

To cook, heat a large grill pan or cast iron skillet. Lightly coat with oil and place the sandwich(es) in the pan. Firmly press down with something heavy. Keep pressing and cook for about 5-7 minutes per side.

Italian-Style Drip Beef

Yep. This is another sandwich. You'll love it, I swear. As you may recall, I recently blogged about Pioneer Woman's basic Drip Beef and was only so-so on it. I figured we would like this one better, and I was right. It was fabulous. It's basically everything you would want in a sandwich.


Italian Style Drip Beef
Recipe from Pioneer Woman, adapted

INGREDIENTS
1 medium onion, sliced
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed
1 whole Beef Chuck Roast, 2.5 To 4 Pounds
2-3 cups beef broth
1/4 cup sherry
¼ cups Water
1 packet Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon Salt
3 TBSP whole peppercorns
3-4 sprigs rosemary
½ jars (16 Oz) Pepperoncini Peppers, With Juice (I omitted, but would use next time)
cheese slices (I like Muenster)
Buttered, Toasted Deli Rolls

DIRECTIONS
Spray ceramic of crock pot with cooking spray and add onions and garlic. Season roast with salt & pepper and place on top of the bed of onions. Add liquids, Italian seasoning, peppercorns, salt, rosemary, and pepperoncini. Cook on low for 8 hrs.

Take the meat out of the crock pot after about 8 hrs and shred with forks. Season the meat with pepper.

Place meat and onions (if desired) on top of buns and then top each sandwich with cheese. Put in the oven or under the broiler for a few minutes until the cheese melts.

Pioneer Woman's Drip Beef

I love sandwiches. I really don't think there's much in the world that is more satisfying. Luckily, my husband agrees and is usually in at the mention of a sandwich.

I also love using my crockpot, especially when I use it in ways most Minnesotans don't. This drip beef sandwich recipe is a great example of this. I loved how I started this in the morning and it was all ready to go when I got home from work. My house smelled so good when I walked in the door and the meat could not have been more tender. Our one complaint is that the soy sauce flavor was a bit strong, so if I were to make this recipe again, I would probably cut the amount of soy sauce by about half.

Drip Beef

Recipe from Pioneer Woman, adapted

Serves about 6

INGREDIENTS

1 whole 3-4 lb chuck roast

1 large onion, sliced thick

3 cloves garlic, crushed & peeled

1/2 cup soy sauce (try to get low sodium)

1 cup Sherry (cooking Sherry is fine)

2 cups beef broth

1-2 cups water

3-4 sprigs Rosemary

1-2 TBSP whole peppercorns

deli rolls

sliced cheese (we used Muenster)

DIRECTIONS

Spray the ceramic part of the crock pot with cooking spray. Put onions and garlic on the bottom. Place the roast on top of the onions. Pour the soy sauce, Sherry, beef broth, and water in the crock pot. Add rosemary and peppercorns.

Cook on low for about 8 hrs.

At the end of the cooking time, take the roast out of the crockpot and pull with two forks.

Put the meat on the deli rolls, pour a bit of the liquid from the crockpot on top, and place cheese on top. Put in the oven to melt the cheese for about 5 minutes, if desired.

Serve with a bowl of the liquid for dipping.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

Feliz Cinco de Mayo, mis amigos. In honor of the day, I have a quasi-"Mexican" dish for you that I think you'll love.

Also on my list of easy, minimal ingredient dinners is Crockpot Salsa Chicken. I'd seen it floating around the blogosphere for some time now, and always felt like it was something I should make, but never got around to it. Yesterday, I finally made it.

This was really delicious. I felt like I was eating an enchilada without the tortilla. I served it with some cilantro-lime rice on the side, and I think next time I will shred the chicken and mix together the chicken, sauce, and rice. After a few bites, I started doing that, and I liked it much better. I hope you enjoy it too!


Crockpot Salsa Chicken
Recipe from Food alla Puttanesca, adapted
Serves 2-3
Prep Time - 2 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2-3 chicken breasts
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 can Cream of Chicken Soup (try to use the reduced sodium kind)
1 cup salsa

DIRECTIONS
Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker and sprinkle with the taco seasoning. Add the can of cream of chicen soup and then salsa. If necessary, use a spoon or scraper to make sure the chicken is coated.

Cook on low for about 6 hours.

When finished, add a dollop of sour cream and serve with a side of rice.

Crockpot Rotisserie-Style Chicken

Well, as promised in my last post, here it is. A chicken you can make in your crockpot that will taste like a rotisserie chicken. I was inspired to try this when I was browsing the spice aisle at my local grocery store and noticed a bottle of spices called "rotisserie." So, I went home and googled the spice combination and came across a recipe for a crockpot rotisserie chicken on A Year of Crockpotting. It looked easy enough, and I decided if it turned out well, it would be a lot more economical than buying rotisserie chickens at the grocery store to use in various recipes.

I hope you like this recipe. It couldn't have been easier and came out so tender and delicious. It didn't taste exactly like the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, but it was very close, and the meat was even more tender. I'd make it again in a minute.

Please try to ignore how bad this picture is. Thanks.

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken
From A Year of Crockpotting, adapted slightly

INGREDIENTS
1 whole chicken (3-4 lbs)
2 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
pinch of chili powder
4 whole garlic cloves (optional)
1 small onion, quartered (optional)

DIRECTIONS
In a bowl combine all dried spices. Rub the mixture all over the bird, including inside the cavity.

If desired, place the garlic and onion inside the cavity.

Place the chicken in your crockpot, breast side down. Do not add any liquid. Cook on low for about 8 hrs.

Taco Soup

I've noticed that a lot of my posts seem to reference the weather. Well, this post isn't going to be any different. On Friday, it was chilly and rainy outside, so I decided to make a chicken taco soup in my slow cooker and pair it with nice, cheesy quesadillas. It hit the spot. We were both very pleased with the results and wouldn't hesitate to make it again.



Chicken Taco Soup
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS
2 chicken breasts, cooked & cut into small chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced
1/2 green pepper, chopped
1-2 cans diced tomatoes with green chiles, undrained
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
1 (10 oz) can hot & spicy chili beans
4 cups tomato juice
1 (1.25 oz) packet taco seasoning
Sour cream, for garnish
shredded cheese, for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Add all ingredients to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.

Ladle into bowls and garnish as desired.

Crock Pot Pulled Pork

I always liked pulled pork sandwiches, but never really loved them. If Famous Dave's catered an event I was attending, I'd grab one, and enjoy it, but that was about it. Then, one day, I was reading a blog and came across a pulled pork recipe that looked alright, but piqued my interest in trying to make my own.

After eating these sandwiches, I'm proud to say that I'm firmly in the pulled pork camp. They were absolutely delicious and made my house smell so good when it cooked all day. I'd even go so far as to say they're better than Famous Dave's. And they really couldn't be easier.


Crockpot Pulled Pork

Rub adapted from Cook's Illustrated
Serves about 6
Prep Time - 15 min
Cook Time - 8-10 hrs

INGREDIENTS

1 4-5 lb pork butt roast
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1/8 cup water
1 cup barbeque sauce (I recommend Famous Dave's Rich & Sassy)

Rub
2 tsp pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 TBSP brown sugar
1 TBSP oregano
2 TBSP paprika
1 TBSP sugar
2 tsp white pepper

DIRECTIONS
Mix together the spice rub and rub it all over te meat. Double-wrap the roast in plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours, or overnight.

Unwrap the roast and place in the crockpot. Add liquid smoke and water.

Cook on low for 8-10 hrs.

Transfer to a cutting board and pull the meat with forks. If your roast is cooked enough, this should be incredibly easy. If it takes any effort, your raost probably isn't done enough.

Discard any fat and all but about 1 TBSP of liquid from the crockpot.

Place the meat back in the slow cooker and add a generous 1/2 cup of barbeque sauce. Cook for another 30-60 minutes.

Serve on toasted buns and top with more barbeque sauce, as desired.